KR|Enmity Review #25: Kerdhokk

Toy prototype details

Name: Kerdhokk^TM

Subtitle: destructive robot

Line: KR|Enmity

Item type: large scale figure - Nº 1 in the line.

Character details

Name: Kerdhokk
Real name: Kerdhokk-upgraded Dark Legion Trooper

Classification: robot

Home: Tahron

Era: 20 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Dark Legion

Rank: Dark Legion Troopers' first lieutenant.

Background

First appearance: KR|Enmity #3 - Notes of vengeance

Brief bio: after Wordron had appointed Ignitrys as his lead Dark Legion engineer, the evil Cereutian android combined her technological powers with Modi-Rha's paranormal faculties, in order to create a beastly biotech virus -the Kerdhokk strain- through which science and magic could contaminate each other. Once unleashed, this plague infected the evil duke's cybernetic army of troopers, allowing the robots to exceed their programming and posses a cunning of their own as well as the ability to reassemble their component parts in countless different ways. When Gax-Uhr and Ir-Ash travelled to O-Kin hoping to save the abducted Princess Sih-Len, two Dark Legion Troopers attacked the heroes, but, in an attempt to protect his brother, Gax-Uhr managed to force the two machines into colliding violently with each other. Despite the two robots were badly damaged and their chassis ripped apart, they magically initiated their own upgrade by fusing together the separate pieces. Aiming at preventing the heroes from accomplishing their mission, the pile of debris transformed into a hulking robotic menace equipped with a fearsome bladed weapon ready to burst from its chest. Although the droid's increased techno-power made it more than a match for the two brothers, Gax-Uhr and Ir-Ash ultimately succeeded in overpowering it once for all.

Articulation

Standard, excluding hinged abdomen. The feet are swivel-hinged and able to slide forward or backward. Also, there are two additional pivoting shoulder pieces placed between the arms and the torso.

Description

Head: composed of a double bladed piece, which is similar to the weapon that came with the Dark Legion Troopers and is fictionally produced by connecting the two wide wheels (with nicely patterned black rubbery studded tyres) from the vehicle configuration side-by-side, imagining that the rims of the wheels retracted and the tyres got taller and narrower, allowing the tread patterns to separate and reveal series of silver blades. The difference here is that the double blade is set horizontally and the space between the two stacked wheels shows two ominous triangular eyes that emit a red glow

Body: the figure is 23 cm tall (around 9'') and shows a very bulky sculpt that incorporates various parts from the two original DL Troopers. The arms and legs are generated by the four three-wheeled rear tank treads mixed with elements of the Troopers' black metallic electro-hydraulic limbs, while the four two-wheeled front tank treads form the two pivoting shoulder pieces and the two rotating feet respectively. Besides the black metallic wheels and the bands of dark-green metal plates, all the continuous track parts show many techno-embellishments, such as tubes, wires, pistons and hinges. Each clawed steel hand is made up of two circular saws (split in such a way that they create four claws), while each foot is connected to the leg by a truncated silver cone derived from one drill bit

Wearables: a metallic black armour with bronze details, a metallic black belt and a bronze crotch piece (everything shows lots of cyber details). The chest plate has a hole that reveals a second double blade, this time set vertically, stored inside the torso, while the back carries a wide wing-like, spiky structure composed of several exhaust pipes and two removable scythe-like silver blades.

Kerdhokk's stylised armour.

Action feature

In the comics, Kerdhokk is equipped with two large mechanical feet derived from a pair of two-wheeled tank treads. Depending on the position of its hinged "ankle", each foot can rotate in two ways: either round a horizontal axis (i.e., flip-flopping end-over-end) to crush enemies, or round a vertical axis (i.e., sideways, clockwise or counterclockwise) to kick obstacles.

Additionally, the destructive robot has a chest plate that pops open to let a vicious double blade "fly" out (fictionally, this spinning saw-blade that launches from Kerdhokk's upper body is also a sort of bouncing bomb). The inside of the chest panel contains a small ledge for the blade, which lets it rest out in the open.

Weapons and accessories

Apart from the chest double blade, Kerdhokk comes with some very interesting accessories. First up is a mace-like weapon consisting of a bronze shaft with an attached spiked ball (which is adorned with a number of small spikes similar to drilling bits) on one end, and a silver head (which is made up of the remaining four circular saws, vertically aligned side-by-side, and of the two drill bit conical tips extending outward from the sides) on the other end. 

Additionally, the two DL Troopers' black plasma-rifles (each with a detachable silver hose that runs to the wing-like structure on the back) can be plugged into two spots on the shoulder pieces, forming a pair of swinging/pivoting cannons. Interestingly, instead of the translucent plasma burst effects that came with the original Troopers, the figure includes two large-calibre projectiles that can plug into the muzzles of the rifles. Also, there are two plug-in plumes of greyish smoke seemingly spreading from the largest exhaust pipes.

Excitingly, many parts of these accessories can be switched around - for example, the mace silver head can also work as an alternate head for the figure, either plasma rifle can connect to the top of the standard head, the placings of the grenades and of the plumes of smoke can be exchanged, and either the rifles or the scythe blades can be attached to the sides of the chest double blade, transforming it into an even more menacing weapon. The possibilities are almost countless.
Update: the full-vehicle configuration of a Dark Legion Trooper with a tilting drill bit will also be included with the figure!

Final thoughts

Character value: ♦♦♦ I have mixed feelings about this robot. On the one hand, it’s a kind of pointless, large scale variant of a Dark Legion Trooper, but on the other, PoliganToys went the extra mile in making it a unique character

Articulation: ♥♥♥ The figure can take a lot of poses, although its arms are hindered somewhat by the additional shoulder pieces. And, sure, because of the chest cavity we lose the ab crunch articulation, which sometimes can make achieving a decent pose a bit frustrating. However, I like the fact that its hinged ankles are pretty tight

Sculpt and paint: ♣♣♣♣ Despite Kerdhokk is essentially a rearrangement of Dark Legion Troopers' pieces, this figure certainly has one of the more original sculpts in the series. Its paint is almost identical to the original Troopers, but it has bronze trim instead of dark-green on some parts of its components

Accessories: ♠♠♠♠ The great thing about getting multiple accessories is the freedom of choice - one feels free to use some and to discard some others according to their personal taste

Playability: ♪♪♪♪ I was pleasantly surprised to see the chest panel open smoothly and fit seamlessly when closed

Overall: ☺☺☺☺ Kerdhokk is actually quite great and definitely has a place on the shelf of my prototype collection.

KR|Enmity Review #24: Koptros (Enmity Edition)

Toy prototype details

Name: Koptros^TM (Enmity Edition)

Subtitle: air force-division marshal

Line: KR|Enmity

Item type: action figure (dual figure) - Nº 22 in the line.

Character details

Name: Koptros

Classification: human

Sex: male

Home: Tahron

Era: 20 years before Foundation

Affiliation: Theriom

Rank: marshal of the Theriom Air Force; military communications and espionage expert.

Background

First appearance: KR|Enmity #1 - Flares of enmity

Brief bio: a native from the mountains of southern Tahron, Koptros was a descendant of the legendary Cereutian knight Galamars^TM, who masterminded the construction of the multiversal walls. Seeking to prove that he was worthy of his valiant ancestor's legacy, he enlisted in the Theriom army, where another recruit named Xonedar noticed his talent for several branches of engineering, especially aeronautical, and convinced him to pursue a career in the air force. When Koptros reached the highest military level, he answered the call of King Li-Khon to design the Gyrocarrier^TM, an exceptionally advanced aircraft, and to train a new generation of daring pilots, among which he recognised Noctylius^TM' excellent piloting skills. Although Xonedar did not share his romantic interest, Koptros was always a loyal friend and comrade-in-arms to him, and together they developed a number of innovative technologies. After Demo-Rha's betrayal, Koptros helped Xonedar search for his former partner across Tahron, hoping only to reunite the family she had wrecked. Eventually, he left the Therioms after a battle injury and found peace in a remote astronomical observatory on the Gumazir^TM plateau, while remaining available to assist his one-time fellows in case of need.

Articulation

Both figures have the standard articulation.

In the comics, Koptros is equipped with a hyper-technological backpack that can produce a powered exoskeleton, giving him superhuman strength and other abilities. Despite the two figures represent the same character, they render the two alternative forms and appear very different. Although it's not clear whether these figures will be released individually or in a 2-pack, I'm going to describe them separately.

Normal form

Description

Head: Native American features, dark brown skin with a reddish tinge, black hair, brown eyes. Similarly to Xonedar, he wears a dark-red headgear similar to a combination of a side cap and a peaked cap, with a brim folded up on both sides and projecting like a visor at the front, as well as silver details such as piping, a patterned band, a Theriom Air Force emblem (a modified version of the Theriom symbol, i.e., a seven-pointed star whose two elongated side points resemble the wings of a bat) worn on the front and a rank insignia worn on the left side

Body: covered from neck to toe

Wearables: a dark-red military uniform consisting of a high-collared, thigh-length double-breasted blouse (non-removable) and a pair of trousers (with silver knee pads and a double-strapped sheath on the right thigh), a silvery ascot tie, two silver bracelets, two silver boots and a silver belt ornamented with two studs near the buckle. The blouse has various silver details, such as a trim and several buttons down the middle, two ornamental shoulder pieces and two rank insignia on the sleeves. A number of silver Theriom Air Force emblems are displayed on the left breast, on the knee pads, on the bracelets and on the belt buckle. Additionally the bracelets and the boots sport narrow cyber bands (one around each wrist and two around each boot top) that probably work as links between the uniform and the exoskeleton.

Action feature

Koptros' normal form comes with a silver backpack attached to a harness that can be worn over his uniform. The backpack, which can fictionally produce the powered exoskeleton suit and other apparatuses (mostly radio-related gear, such as an automatic frequency hopper, a cryptography unit and jamming/anti-jamming equipment), is basically identical to Xonedar's one, while the harness, which features a number of tubes along the straps and an electronic panel that appears to control the backpack, is a slightly more detailed version of Foundation Koptros' outfit (except for the tubing, which looks much simpler).

Koptros' stylised harness.

Weapons and accessories

In addition to the harness+backpack, the figure includes a returning boomerang with a red elbow and a pair of silver arms (or wings), which can be stowed in the sheath strapped to his leg.

Enhanced form

Description

Head: protected by a full face red helmet with silver details (including a longitudinal stripe on the top and a pair of breathing hoses that seemingly connect the respirator to the back of the armour) and an orange glass visor. Like with Xonedar, this helmet has a nice metallic shine and definitely makes for a cool design

Body: despite the dark-red uniform is still visible, much of his body is characterised by the presence of a silver powered exoskeleton that allows for limb movement with increased strength and endurance. The exoskeleton, whose components run from the shoulders down to the hands and from the waist down to the feet, fastens to Koptros' body at various spots, including his upper arms, wrists, thighs and calves

Wearables: a silver armour with red details, two silver gauntlets, two silver boots with knee guards and small jet engines on the calves, a silver belt (displaying tech-looking details and two gun holsters on the sides) and a red crotch piece. The armour is embellished with straps, air vents, circuitry, wires, tubing and a supposedly active version of the electronic panel on the chest. The gauntlets and the boots have a nice cyber/armoured look and sport bat wing-shaped fins at the sides of the wrist guards and shin guards respectively, while the back of the crotch piece and the side of the right thigh feature additional tubular segments that look like an extension of the armour's air tubing.

Koptros' stylised helmet.

Koptros' stylised armour.

Action feature

Like with his normal form, Koptros carries a silver removable backpack, which in this version features a pair of turbojet engines and several bat wing-shaped appendages. Fictionally, this device can produce a number of tools, one of which is included as an accessory and can be mounted to the figure. This tool, specifically an aerial reconnaissance equipment that allows Koptros to fly, is composed of silver&red transverse rotors and control assembly attachments that plug into four sockets (two on the top and two on the sides of the backpack respectively), as well as a clear plastic dome that covers his head. The rotors have a ducted fan design and small jet engines in a tip jet configuration, while the control assembly is equipped with two joysticks, which Koptros can grab in his hands, and two missile launchers with separate missiles.

Weapons and accessories

Aside from the backpack-helicopter gear, Koptros' enhanced form comes with an energy angular katar that fictionally derives from the normal form's boomerang. This weapon, which has a H-shaped horizontal hand grip and is designed to function mainly as a sort of shock prod, is really nicely constructed, with semi-translucent orange segments between the seemingly moving-apart outer and inner halves of each silver arm, as well as along the convex edge.

Moreover, the figure includes an additional detachable structure that is designed to fold up from behind the backpack over the clear helmet and to hook to a peg on the front of the latter; this frame has a clip on the front, to store the above-mentioned angular katar, but can also hold an alternative split version of the weapon characterised by a cable (a string in reality) to the end of which a V-shaped semi-translucent orange piece is attached. I don’t know whether that energy piece is supposed to work as a projectile for knocking over Dark Legion folks or as a sort of anchor that can be used defensively if needed, but in the comics a similar implement is utilised as a grappling hook to rescue Xonedar from an unfair fight. The right side of the backpack also bears a hook to store the energy cable and grapnel.

Finally, the figure includes an alternative helmeted head with a flipped up face plate. Koptros uncovered face resembles the normal form's face faithfully and has some additional details, specifically a silver headset dual-microphone running down the cheeks.

Final thoughts

Character value: ♦♦♦♦ Xonedar finally gets his bestest pal, so he won’t be so lonely anymore (Demo-Rha is gonna leave him...)

Articulation: ♥♥♥♥ Unlike with Xonny, I have zero problems with him, his articulation is flawless

Sculpt and paint: ♣♣♣♣ Species balance is finding its way into the Theriom faction; Koptros and Xonedar, with Magda-Lyn and Demo-Rha, are all that the human portion of the heroes can offer to this point

Accessories: ♠♠♠ I wish an unhatted head were included with the normal form

Playability: ♪♪♪♪ I'm sure you'd join me in enjoying a solid figure of a really cool character

Overall: ☺☺☺☺ It is a relief to have the arguably two coolest Theriom characters on the shelf. While we are heading for the end of the series, I hope we will still see guys like Lord Tafmohr^TM and maybe even Kot to further help that along.